specific to the individual

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "specific to the individual" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing something that is tailored or relevant to a particular person or their unique circumstances. Example: "The treatment plan was designed to be specific to the individual, taking into account their medical history and personal preferences."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Well they're certainly specific to the individual.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

Representatives from comScore and Arbitron said the goal was to produce results that are "nationally projectable" and not specific to the individual.

The New York Times

The question isn't talent, experience or anything else specific to the individual; it is solely: "Can we design and properly market this package so that lots of people will buy it?" The answer here is almost certainly yes, especially since there is one specific attribute of this individual that predisposes a large segment of our population to buy whatever they are selling — that special last name.

The New York Times - Magazine

In contrast to concepts, ideas are often propositional, and plausibly more specific to the individual.

SEP

These deals are all specific to the individual cities, and the result of negotiations with ministers which began last December.

BBC

This includes an improved search engine, which includes more filtering options and information specific to the individual country's politicians and their use of Twitter.

TechCrunch

In addition, such measures should not emphasize the instrumentality of learning as this is very specific to the individual learners' situations.

Large-scale Assessments in Education

A promising application of this data could involve a targeted digital behavioral program specific to the individual, matching their weight loss to measurable improvement in their quality of sleep.

TechCrunch

Results from a number of studies indicate relationships between economy and joint angles and velocities were trivial to moderate in strength [91,103,113,114,177,178], suggesting optimal kinematic patterns may be specific to the individual.

Sports Medicine - Open

It is posited that the maximum utility that a woman receives or expects to receive by making either choice can be expressed as functions of characteristics specific to the individual.

Health Economics Review

The tool achieved this, by providing read-only access to the cloud service primarily and, then, by using Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPs) requests and Open Authentication (OAuth) tokens, each specific to the individual cloud storage product being examined [37].

Journal of Cloud Computing

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity and precision in your writing, use "specific to the individual" to emphasize that something is uniquely relevant or tailored for a particular person or case.

Common error

Avoid using "specific to the individual" when you're actually discussing a group or a general trend. This phrase should only be used when the information or action truly applies to one person or thing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "specific to the individual" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun to indicate that something is uniquely relevant or tailored to a particular person. As seen in the Ludwig examples, it emphasizes personalization or individual relevance.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

51%

News & Media

30%

Formal & Business

19%

Less common in

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "specific to the individual" is a versatile adjectival phrase used to emphasize personalization and individual relevance. As confirmed by Ludwig, it is grammatically correct and finds frequent application across diverse domains like science, news, and business. While alternatives like "tailored to the individual" and "unique to the individual" exist, the core meaning remains consistent: emphasizing that something is designed or applicable to one particular person. Be cautious not to overgeneralize its use; this phrase is most effective when genuinely describing something applicable to a single entity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

tailored to the individual

Focuses on the customization aspect, implying that something has been adapted to suit a particular person's needs.

personalized for the individual

Highlights that something is made personal or designed for a specific person.

unique to the individual

Emphasizes the distinctiveness or singularity relating to a particular person.

individualized for the person

Similar to personalized, but highlights the focus on a single person.

customized for each person

Focuses on adapting something based on individual requirements.

designed for the individual

Highlights the intent or purpose of creating something with a specific person in mind.

relevant to the individual

Focuses on the pertinence or applicability to a particular person.

distinct to the person

Highlights that something is clearly different and characteristic of that specific person.

particular to the individual

Indicates that something applies solely to one specific person.

bespoke for the individual

Implies something custom-made, especially clothing, but can apply more broadly.

FAQs

How can I use "specific to the individual" in a sentence?

Use "specific to the individual" to highlight personalization or relevance to a single person, such as, "The treatment plan is "tailored to the individual"'s needs."

What phrases are similar to "specific to the individual"?

Alternatives include "unique to the individual", "personalized for the individual", or "tailored to the individual". Choose the one that best fits the context.

When should I use "specific to the individual" instead of "general"?

Use "specific to the individual" when discussing characteristics, treatments, or plans that are designed or relevant for one particular person and not applicable to a broader group. Otherwise, you can use something more "general".

Is "specific to the individual" formal or informal?

The phrase "specific to the individual" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. However, the surrounding language should match the desired level of formality.